‘He accepts me for who I am’
Helen Cooke, 53, lives in Windsor with her physiotherapist husband, Michael, and stepdaughter, Rosie, 19.
I had surgery for a spinal tumour at just a few months old and have been a wheelchair user all my life. My parents encouraged me to be independent, and I grew up confident and resilient. But determined as I’ve been, I have experienced insecurities around dating. I remember watching friends meet their first boyfriends and thinking that might never happen for me.
LOOKING FOR ROMANCE
In my 20s, I started meeting other people with spinal cord injuries and many of them were married or had partners, usually able-bodied. I